# Summary
The International Maritime Pollution Accountability Act of 2024 creates a fee system for large cargo ships entering U.S. ports to address pollution from maritime shipping, which accounts for nearly 3 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Beginning January 1, 2025, shipping operators must report detailed information about their vessels' fuel consumption and cargo, and they will be assessed fees based on the carbon dioxide emissions and air pollutants their ships produce. The carbon fee starts at $150 per metric ton of emissions and increases annually by the inflation rate plus 5 percentage points, with the rate tripled for voyages in polar regions. Ships can reduce their fees by 50 percent if their country of origin already charges comparable pollution fees.
The collected fees fund various clean shipping initiatives starting in fiscal year 2027, including $25 million annually for upgrading domestic cargo ships to low-carbon fuels or batteries, $25 million for developing cleaner maritime fuels and technology, $10 million each for electrifying harbor craft and ferries, and $5 million for workforce training in zero-emission vessel operations. The bill also dedicates portions of collected fees to existing environmental programs and air monitoring in port communities. If the International Maritime Organization eventually enacts a comparable global fee, the U.S. fees automatically end. Operators who fail to pay fees will be prevented from operating in U.S. waters and docking at U.S. ports.
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